Analysis of Prescribing Patterns of Drugs Used in Osteoarthritis in Tertiary Care Center

Abstract

Background: Osteoarthritis (O.A.) is a common degenerative lesion of the articular cartilage that corresponds to hypertrophy deterioration of bone structure is osteoarthritis. The treatment is mainly focused on the management of pain. Methods: An Observational study was conducted among 163 patients visiting Orthopedics Out Patient Department at GMC Hospital. The duration of study was for 6 months from Jan 2024-Jun 2024. The analysis of collected data was done by SPSS version Software. Descriptive Statistics tools like frequency, Percentage were used to express the findings. Results: We found that female was (68.7%) in comparison to male (31.3%). Oral route (79%) was most commonly preferred route of drugs administration than topical route (21%). Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) (41.78%), Vitamins and minerals (22.5%), Antiulcers (19.5%), Symptomatic Slow-acting Drugs in Osteoarthritis (SYSODA) (6.82%), Muscle Relaxants (5.02%) and Others (4.07%) were Prescribed groups of drugs. Diclofenac (19.52%) was most commonly prescribed Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs followed by Aceclofenac (11.37%). Average no. of drugs prescribed was 5.12, % of drugs Prescribed from National List of Essential Medicine (NLEM) was 79.88%, % of drugs prescribed by generic name was 0% and Average dispensing time was 225.13 sec. Conclusion: Osteoarthritis (O.A) was mostly common in female than male. Lumbar was most commonly affected site of Osteoarthritis. Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs was most commonly prescribed groups of drugs. Keywords: Osteoarthritis, Prescribing Pattern, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, Diclofenac, Symptomatic Slow-acting Drugs in Osteoarthritis.